INDIA – TAMIL NADU – MADURAI

Madurai is another large city in Tamil Nadu region. City has many tourist spots that attracts the crowds from all over the world. There are many artistic temples that speak about the architectural skill of the people in the old days.
The celestial marriage of Meenakshi and Sundareswarar in Meenakshi Temple afterwords followed by Car festival is an unforgettable event with thousands devotees swarming the temple to worship the divine couple while streets full of people watching huge Chariot pulled through the streets using massive ropes and man power. The journey around the city is followed by drum beats, flowers incense sticks and camphor. The spiritual ambience is heightened with the offerings made by the devotees like sweets, water, and coconut sometimes thrown at the crowds from above.

Detail of Meenakshi Temple gate.

Girls practicing inside temple before they join ceremony.

Shops around temple.

Holly Cow!

Participant.

Girls dancing.

Meenakshi Temple.

Day before main event which is marriage of Meenakshi and Sundareswarar.

Ceremony goes around temple.

Pirates are part of ceremonies.

Ceremonies goes on.

Salesman.

Life on the street.

Sales lady in flower market.

View from hotel.

Old school press.

Elephants are thought to collect coins and then bless the giver taping with trunk on his head.

Madurai Palace.

Madurai Palace.

Ready to go.

Holly Elephant.

Amazing how girls manage to keep birds on the head while dancing.

Spice Market.

Devotees.

Drummer.

Crowd watching marriage ceremony on big screen TV.

People waiting to get in to the Temple.

Fan’s for sale.

Old Man.

Rope used to pull this huge chariot.

Hats are made and sold on the spot.

Free food.

Meanwhile in the alleys kids collecting change.

Madurai panorama.

Ocean of people.

Chariot is on the move.

Old lady selling cucumbers.

35c 7am Madurai. Car festival full on.

From rooftops people throwing confetti and water motivating to pull harder.